Co-op Meeting ‘Positive’ Says Attendee, But No Promises Given

An attendee at Tuesday’s consultation with Co-op representatives on the islands described the meeting as ‘positive’ and felt they were surprised at some of the points made.

St Mary’s resident, Alan Davis, has been campaigning for the Co-op to improve their offering on the Isles of Scilly.

He was one of only twenty residents who were offered the chance to meet with Regional Board member Jenny Barnes, as well as members of the regional management team.

He felt the Co-op reps were left in no doubt as to the issues at the local store on St Mary’s and he said they appeared to take the feedback on board.

Alan said it was clear that they realise they have a problem.

However, Alan said there were no promises of if, and when, any improvements would be made.

Radio Scilly received complaints from local shoppers on Tuesday who said it appeared that extra staff had been drafted in to ensure the shelves were fully stocked and Alan said this was brought to the attention of the representatives.

Alan is pressing the Co-op to allow a reserved seat for an Isles of Scilly representative on their regional board.

He says it’s almost impossible to get elected with such small numbers of residents here, especially as candidates are not allowed to campaign for votes.

However, that hasn’t deterred Alan who said he would be putting forward his name for the upcoming elections.

A spokesperson for The Co-operative Group said, “Events such as our members’ open day are very important to us, as they allow us to listen to the views of our customers and to take account of their feedback, both good and bad.

“The event was attended by senior representatives of The Co-operative Group, including our Food Operations Manager responsible for the store, and the regional Membership representative who sits on our national Board.

“A number of issues were raised at our event in St Mary’s, including the availability of items when deliveries are affected by bad weather, or when demand is unusually high during peak tourist periods. These concerns will be addressed.

“We would like to thank all our members who took the time to meet our representatives.”